Kid tossed and turned in a desperate attempt to get some much-needed sleep. Between the thick air, the rumbling of thunder and the steady cracks of lightning, he wasn’t having much success.

”Just rain already!” he hissed into the darkness.

It wasn’t the oppressive humidity or the inclement weather that had Kid tossing and turning. It was the empty space in the bed beside him. Breathing deeply he could still smell Lou’s scent lingering on the pillow next to his. He feared the day when it would fade away completely.

A bolt of lightning hit nearby and lit up the room for a brief moment. He could see all of the pictures she had lovingly arranged on the on top of the chest of drawers, a happy family staring back at him. In the quick second before the room went dark he saw her delicate, white nightgown tossed over the chair in the corner. He longed to feel the soft fabric again, craved the feel of Lou’s delicate body beside his.

Shaking his head in frustration he rose from the bed and crossed to the window that looked out over the ranch he and Lou and Buck and Jenny had started from nothing. Straining his ears he could hear noises coming from the massive stables. The horses were riled up by the clatter of the threatening storm and he knew the change in air pressure would probably cause the mares to foal.

Figuring he would get about as much rest with the horses as he would alone in his big bed, he dressed to head out into the night. Stopping in each of the children’s rooms, he made sure they were sleeping soundly before quietly letting himself out of the house.

Another bolt of lightning cracked in the air, this time closer than Kid cared for. Using the brief moment of light to look over his land at the dry ground and brittle trees and grasses, he prayed that the rain would arrive by the time the lightning reached their doorstep.

Inside the stable, Kid was immediately caught up in the frenzy. His instincts hadn’t failed him and he found Wally and his other foreman, Timothy, tending to the first mare. Buck and one of the men had the second mare, so Kid joined several of the hands in settling the horses back down. Even Jimmy had been corralled into sparing some sleep to aid the stock. He was surprised Buck hadn’t come for him, but figured they’d let him sleep after his trying morning.

Every time they got the horses quieted down, another rumble of thunder would sound or another crack of lighting would soar through the sky, electrifying the air. The distinctive pop of lightning striking was audible over the din of the horses. Each man stopped in his place for a brief moment to acknowledge how close the strike had come, but none felt the need to investigate as the building around them was still in one piece.

Kid roamed the stable freely, helping several of the hands at one time. He prided himself on his work with the horses and took great concern that they were so agitated by the impending storm. It was several minutes before Kid noticed his own horse, Katy, was tensed and pacing her stall. Normally an even-tempered horse, on this night she was wild and demanding attention.

Carefully approaching the skittish animal, Kid tried to sooth her. “What girl? What is it?” Kid cooed to the beautiful paint mare that was practically his fourth daughter.

Digging a sugar cube out of his pocket, he reached out to feed her, but when Katy refused her favorite treat, Kid grew suspicious. She was pacing to her small window that was inside the comfortable stall at the end of the row.

“I can’t understand you Katy-girl. What is it that you’re tryin’ to tell me?” Kid was drawn into the stall by the horse’s curious dance. He reached for her, but she turned away and headed back to her little view of the ranch.

Kid could not help but follow her gaze, and looking out the window the sight before him nearly brought him to his knees. His legs actually buckled and his stomach lurched and for a brief moment he thought he might be sick. Glaring back at him from a distance of less than three hundred yards was his home, the home he shared with Lou and his children and that very home was presently engulfed in flames.

He quickly recovered and gathered his wits about him, but those precious seconds when he had felt the life drain out of him felt like he had wasted an eternity. Bursting into the hallway of the stable, he skidded to a stop outside Katy’s stall and cupping his hands to his mouth to amplify his voice, he yelled “Fire!” with all his breath.

The chattering between the men stopped and to those working in the stalls it seemed as if even the horses stopped their nervous nickering so Kid could be heard. Heads popped out from stalls on both the left and the right, all greeted by the same sight - Kid in the center, his face as ghostly white in color as it could be without being translucent and his hands still cupped to his mouth so he could holler again.

“Fire! My house is on fire! Grab the buckets and let’s go!”

Kid didn’t wait to see if any of the men were behind him. He tore out of the stable at full speed towards his house. Rachel was racing towards him, dressed only in her nightclothes and Jenny was following as closely behind as she could in her current state.

“Rachel, the girls. Where are they?”

”Oh God, Kid. They’re not out of there! I can’t get in, the door is blocked by the tree!”

Panic was beginning to creep in as the adults all realized the eminent danger the children were in.

Kid pushed at Rachel and shoved her towards the stables. “Go! Get out of the way. I’m going to get them!”

“Kid, you can’t!” Jenny pleaded. “You’ll never get in there!” Tears were starting down her cheeks as she thought of his children in harm’s way.

“I will not let my children die in there, Jenny! You get to safety. Rachel, tell Jimmy to hurry up and to bring the ladder!”

Kid charged forward towards his burning home and the two women ran towards the men streaming from the far building, buckets in hand. They could all hear Kid calling the girls names, promising that he was going to help them.

Kid continued to shout and hoped they could hear him over the roar of the flames that were eating away at the front of his house. He wanted them to know that he was coming for them, that he would not let them burn. He refused to let them die and was ready to give his own life to save his family.

The heat was intense, but he would not let it hold him back. The dry trees in the front yard had been struck by lightning. The pop they’d heard in the barn was the sound of a tree exploding from the heat of the strike and then the crash as it fell to the porch. He knew to save the children he would have to lift the flaming log away from the door. Water was too far away and spare minutes were too scarce. There was no alternative other than to rush right in and start with his bare hands.

Jimmy was not far behind Kid, but he feared he was too far as he watched his friend charge up the stairs and into the flames. From his vantage point, Jimmy could see that it wasn’t the entire house on fire, but only the porch cloaked in flames. If he could get Kid back down, they could use the ladder on the side of the house and still get the children out safely.

He called to Kid, but it was all over in a matter of seconds. Jimmy heard the tell tale groan of weakened wood and before he could shout out a warning, the roof of the porch collapsed and crashed down on the Kid, trapping him in the flaming rubble. It was an image that would haunt Jimmy for years to come.

Buck and the men saw the collapse as if it were in slow motion yet, it was only an instant before Kid was completely obscured by debris, smoke and flames. Their first reaction was to drop the buckets and run full speed to start digging him out, but they knew water was imperative and rushed to Jimmy’s side.

“What the hell are you standing there for? Get those buckets full of water, we got to put down some of that fire before we can get to him!”

The men did not hesitate and as Jimmy and Buck took the first two spots, the rest fell into line behind them and started a bucket brigade. Looking over his shoulder he could even see Rachel helping to extend the line to the water troughs.

The continuous buckets made a difference and as soon as a break in the flames was visible, Jimmy and Buck tore into the remains of the front of the porch to search for Kid. They paused for only a second when they each felt the drops of rain. The long awaited storm had finally settled in. Too little, too late, thought Jimmy.

”Careful boys,” Wally called out as he ran up from the rear of the line. “You don’t know what else in gonna give out and you don’t wanna make it worse.”

“Christ! What the hell was he thinking?” muttered Jimmy as he tried to lift the pieces of wood that used to be the porch roof. Gripping the charred wood, he turned to Buck. “We’ll get him! Go get the girls, they must be scared to death!”

Several hands stepped in as Buck shot around the side of the house. Lifting the fallen roof, Jimmy could see Kid crumpled below him in the dirt. He had been pushed through the floor of the porch by the force of the collapse. He yelled to the men to set the wood back down and continue with the water even though the rain was coming down harder, putting out the flames and leaving behind thin trails of smoke.

Jimmy jumped down and started to crawl into the narrow space under the steps.

“What are you doing, Jimmy?” Rachel cried. “Can you see him?” Frantic, she was held back by the hands of her sons who were as scared as she was for their uncle.

Jimmy’s reply was inaudible from the recesses of the dark crawl space. He could grasp Kid’s leg, but fearing broken bones, he was afraid to pull him out. “Hell, I can’t make this any worse! Here we go. Kid, if you can hear me, I’m sorry in advance.” As he gave a quick tug, Kid’s leg made an unnatural movement and there was a sickening pop that had Jimmy feeling as if he would lose the contents of his stomach. He knew pulling Kid out wouldn’t work and he had to rethink his plan.

He crawled deeper under the porch and felt his way to Kid’s head. He would have to push his friend out by the shoulders to avoid doing further damage to his leg. It was a slower process, but Jimmy moved swiftly. He needed to get Kid out into the light of the fire and the lanterns so he could see if he was even breathing.

Emerging from the cave-like space, Jimmy waved off any help, fearing the men would grab Kid’s leg. He could now see it was grossly distorted and knew it couldn’t be good.

The rain was starting to pour down on the assembled group and the flames were starting to dwindle. Jimmy pulled off his coat to cover Kid and leaned forward to listen for the sounds of his breathing. To his relief the breaths were there, although shallow and raspy and he knew Kid had broken ribs as well.

Buck returned almost immediately, holding Sarah in his arms and Mary Emma clutching his hand. Their tears were mingling with the rain that washed down their faces. Rachel and Jenny rushed forward to take the hysterical girls away from the sight of their father lying crumpled on the ground. Neither saw Jackson hovering just behind Buck, blood running down his hands from where he’d punched out the kitchen window to rescue his half-sisters.

Buck directed the men to make a stretcher out of the ladder so they could transport Kid to Rachel and Teaspoon’s house. Wally sent their fastest hand to ride to Sweetwater to get the Doc as well as the Marshal who was watching some prisoners for the night.

They carried Kid into the house and Rachel didn’t know what to do with him. It was obvious that his leg was injured, but it wasn’t like one of the typical wounds she had treated on the Express riders or her children. Twisted at an odd angle from his hip, Rachel knew she was in over her head.

“Set him on the floor boys, it will be better for him. He’s hurt real bad and I think only the Doc can fix this. Let’s just make him comfortable.

“Rachel, we can’t just leave him like this till Doc Satterwhite gets here!”

Kneeling beside Kid, Rachel looked up at Jimmy. “We can’t risk making it worse. His leg looks so bad.” She feared there would be permanent damage if it wasn’t treated properly. Gently wiping his face and hair to dry him off, she nearly fainted when she pulled the cloth from the back of his head and found bright, red blood seeping into it. She was speechless, her only reaction to sit and stare at the stain.

“Is that his, Rachel?” Buck crouched beside her and took possession of the rag. “Where were you drying his hair when you found this?” he demanded.

Rachel indicated the back of Kid’s head with a shaky finger and then stood up to walk away. She couldn’t face the thought of Kid dying on her parlor floor. Gasping, her hands flew to her mouth in sudden realization. “Oh, God! What about Louise? She needs to know about this.”

Buck looked up at Jimmy from where he sat applying pressure to Kid’s head wound. He was not a doctor, nor a tribal medicine man, but he had seen a lot in his short life and to him it did not look promising. Between the leg injury and the head injury, it was bad enough, but it was obvious there were some broken ribs to contend with and who knew what else.

Kid hadn’t stirred since Jimmy pushed him out from under the porch. Buck gave a sad shake of his head and Jimmy felt the bile rise in his throat again.

”I’ll get her.” Jimmy’s voice was tight as he struggled to maintain control of his emotions. “She needs to come home now.”

“That’ll take too long, Jimmy. She’s days away in Denver! The ride there and back would be almost two weeks. See, I told her something like this would happen! I told her she shouldn’t leave!” Hysteria now dominated Rachel’s voice and Jimmy pulled the usually calm woman into an embrace.

“Shh…you gotta calm down. The tears ain’t helpin’. Let’s just wait on the doc like you said and he’ll let us know what to do. Kid’s tough. He won’t let a little flamin’ porch slow him down. Hell, if he knew how we were moonin’ over him right now, he’d be the first to call us all fools.”

The harried woman took a deep, calming breath. “You’re right. Me being all worked up like this is no good. I’ll go check on the children at Jenny’s. You all wait on the doc.”

“Why don’t I go with you,” Jimmy suggested. He could see by Rachel’s trembling hands that she was still unsteady. “Buck and the men will stay with Kid. He’ll be alright.” For her sake he forced conviction into a statement he felt might be a boldfaced lie.

When Jimmy and Rachel reached the Cross house they spotted Jackson standing off to a corner, just staring at the smoldering front of Kid and Lou’s home - his home.

“Go on in, Rachel,” Jimmy whispered. “I’ll see to him.” He felt a certain kinship with the boy, having known years of brooding of his own while growing up. “You okay out here, Jackson?”

The boy looked startled to see Jimmy approaching him, but didn’t make a move to step out of the darkness of the corner. “Yes, sir,” he replied, his polite Southern manners never leaving him.

Jimmy eyed him cautiously and believed he saw the boy’s face twitch with pain. “Are you hurt, son? You don’t look so good.”

“Just fine, sir.” Jackson wished the man would leave him alone.

By moving closer, Jimmy caused Jackson to back himself into the wall as he tried to stay out of sight. His hands still tucked behind him, Jackson cried out in pain when he bumped them into the house.

Surprised by the sharp cry, Jimmy immediately grabbed for Jackson and pulled him into the light of the oil lamp suspended near the door. “What’s going on here? Let me see your hands!”

Jackson held steadfast and desperately tried to keep his hands clasped behind his back.

“Now quit this nonsense. If you’re burned, we gotta tend to it.”

When Jackson still refused, Jimmy forcible took the boy’s arm and applied just enough pressure to get him to relent. Looking down, Jimmy was startled to see Jackson’s right hand closed in a fist, blood seeping between his clenched fingers. “You broke that window, not Buck, didn’t you? You’re the one who helped the girls.”

Jackson only replied with a nod as he watched Jimmy wrap his handkerchief around the bloody hand.

Leading the silent boy into the house, Jimmy held his hand up high in an effort to slow the bleeding. “You should’ve said something. This cut looks serious.”

The reply was barely more than a whisper. “I didn’t want to be no trouble.”

Before Jimmy could speak again Jenny rushed forward to examine Jackson’s hand. Seeing a deep gash that only a straight edge like a knife, or maybe a broken pane of glass, could do she looked from the boy to Jimmy who only nodded his head.

“Jackson, you’re a hero!” Jenny cried as she pulled him into an embrace.

“I didn’t do nothin’,” he returned from deep in Jenny’s clutches.

“But you did! Mary Emma told us how you got them out of the house. She said she and Sarah were very afraid, but you were so brave.” Jenny dragged him towards the lantern on the kitchen table so she could get a better look at the cut.

It had been so long since anyone had offered him praise and adoration that Jackson didn’t know how to reply. All he could come up with was a shrug.

“Well, you can pretend it was nothing, but to us it was everything.” Jenny leaned in and kissed the stunned boy on the cheek. “Now you stay here and hold this rag down tight. I don’t think you’re gonna need to be stitched up, but we’ll have Doc Satterwhite look at it after he fixes Kid up. We’ll be right back.”

Leaving Jackson at the table, Jenny pulled Jimmy into the hallway. “How’s Kid? Does he know the girls are okay?”

A sad look came over Jimmy’s face and Jenny feared the worst. Realizing that she had misinterpreted him, Jimmy pulled his dear friend into an embrace. “No, no he’s, he’s not…” He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence. “But, Jen. It’s not good.”

For the first time since she’d known him, Jenny Cross saw tears in James Hickok’s eyes and it nearly tore her heart apart. “Hey, he’ll be okay.”

“I don’t know about that.” Jimmy quickly wiped his eyes and shifted his attention elsewhere. “Where are the girls? I don’t want them to see him until after the Doc is done.”

“Rachel took them upstairs to clean up and lie down. All of the other kids are up there pretending to sleep. They’re scared, but they’re being very brave.” Looking down at the floor, she spoke the last words quietly. “They’re asking for Lou.”

“I’m gonna go get her at first light.”

“I think that’s wise,” was all she could muster.

The moment of reflection, when each seemed to be lost in memories of happier times gone by, was interrupted when Buck flew into the house. “Doc’s here! He and Teaspoon just rode in.”

Jenny called to Rachel that they were leaving and then the threesome started across the muddy yard.

Standing on his own porch, surveying the damage to Kid and Lou’s house, Teaspoon just shook his head. “I leave here for one day and the damn place falls to pieces.” Seeing the faces searching for the doc, Teaspoon explained. “Doc Satterwhite is out at the Baker place so I brought the new doc. Doc Keating. He’ll fix Kid up real good.”

Filing into the now crowded parlor, they all stood close by and watched the doctor examine Kid.

“Look folks, I know you’re concerned for your friend, but we got too many of you in here. I can’t work with an audience. Why don’t you go wait outside and I’ll examine Mr. McCloud and then get you when I’m done.” The doctor looked up into a sea of concerned faces and indicated towards the door with his head. “Really, I’ll be out as soon as I can,” he said compassionately.

Family, friends and employees started filing out of the door grudgingly.

“Mr. Hickok,” the doctor called. “I’ll need you, Mr. Cross and the Marshal to stay behind and help me.”

Jimmy, Buck and Teaspoon positioned themselves where Dr. Keating placed them. Following his explicit instructions, they each took a firm grip on the limb they were asked to restrain as the doctor went about setting Kid’s hip. The process was quick, but disturbing, as they all watched the misaligned joint return to place. The most disturbing part of the process was the fact that there was no reaction out of the Kid at all. He was still unconscious.

By the time the doctor was done treating Kid, Jimmy’s fears were confirmed.

Stepping out into the yard to address the small crowd, the doctor noticed the torrential rain had stopped. “Kid’s ready to be moved now, but I must warn you to be careful. Once he’s settled, he needs to stay in bed until I say otherwise. Besides the obvious cuts and minor burns, he has a dislocated hip, several broken ribs, and what is called bruised lungs. Right now, it’s very hard for him to breath, so you need to watch him at all times.”

Searching the crowd the doctor looked for Lou. “Where is Mrs. McCloud, I need to discuss with her how to treat his head wound.”

No one would meet the doctor’s questioning stare and suddenly they all found the ground very interesting. Only Jenny dared to speak.

“She’s not here, she’s aiding some friends in Denver. We’ll go get her in the morning.”

The doctor shook his head with regret. “I would do so as quickly as possible. His head injury is very severe, I imagine he felt the full weight of that roof when it fell and the longer he’s unconscious, the less his chances for a full recovery are.”

“Doc, are you saying Kid’s gonna die?”

“I’m not saying that for sure, Marshal, but it is a very real possibility and so is living with permanent damage. I’m sorry to have to be so forward, but you should all be prepared for these possibilities. Now please, don’t all look so defeated. I’ve see men suffer worse and walk away perfectly fine. We need to take this day-by-day. Doctor Satterwhite and I will be back in the morning.”

Teaspoon walked with the young doctor towards his horse. “Be truthful with me, Doc. I got to be able to help these people understand what’s goin’ on.”

“Marshal Hunter, it’s hard to say with head injuries. The first 48 hours are the most crucial.”

“Doc, quit the medical college mumbo-jumbo. I need to know.” Teaspoon was aggravated by both the situation as well as his lack of being able to fix it.

The doctor saw the desperation on Teaspoon’s face and relented. He dared to give odds on Kid’s survival. “Tonight I’ll say thirty percent survival chance.”

“Thirty percent? I ain’t no wizard with numbers, but I know that ain’t good.”

“You asked for the truth and I gave it to you. Hopefully I can upgrade that in a day or so. I would, however, get Mrs. McCloud back here as quickly as possible.”

Teaspoon saw the doctor off and returned to where everyone was standing vigil. “Okay, that’s enough lolly-gagging about. Let’s get Kid settled into a bed and then we’ll all get some sleep. We’ll be of no use to him if we’re dead on our feet.”

A quick look passed between Jenny and the former riders before Jimmy dared to speak.

“I won’t be back to work tomorrow, Teaspoon. I gotta leave at sun up for Denver. I’m goin’ for Lou.”

“That’s mighty admirable of you, Jimmy. We gotta figure on a better plan than you riding clear to Denver. She needs to get here quick to help Kid.”

“What makes you think she’s gonna come back?”

“Buck! How can you even say that,” scolded his wife. “She may be angry with Kid because of Jackson, but she would never be so cruel as to not return to Kid’s side in this hour of need. No matter what, she still loves him.”

Fully chastised, Buck dropped his chin to his chest. “You’re right, I’ll say I’m sorry, but it still ain’t right she left in the first place.”

It wasn’t until they had Kid settled into Rachel and Teaspoon’s spare room that Jimmy thought of the quickest way to get Lou. “Cody,” he muttered aloud.

“What’s that you said, Jimmy?”

“I said, Cody. Teaspoon, he’s in Denver right now. I know that. I saw him in Abilene and he was on his way. Bragged about staying at some fine hotel. We get him a telegram and he can get Lou on a train back to us!”

“Why don’t we just send Lou a telegram on her own?”

“Jenny, this is news she needs to hear from one of us.” Jimmy knew he wouldn’t want to hear devastating news like this from anyone but a friend. “We send it first thing, he puts her on the train to Ft. Collins and I’ll meet her there with the horses.”

“She’s got Maddy with her,” Jenny reminded them.

“Fine then, the wagon. It will be much faster than the stage. It’s our only hope, Teaspoon.”

Looking at the faces of the people who meant the most to him, he knew the plan was their only chance of reuniting Kid and Lou in enough time to save his life. “Do it! Drag nasty old Harold out of bed at first light if you have to so as you can send that telegram, but get Lou back here right away.”

Feeling a sense of progress for the first time in several hours, they separated and agreed to reconvene at sun-up. Teaspoon went with Buck and Jenny to their house to retrieve his family and Jimmy went to Kid’s bedside to take the first watch.

Chapter Nine